UMass's Angela McMahon to coach Italian national lacrosse team

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UMass-Amherst women’s lacrosse head coach Angela McMahon realized timing is everything when she was given the opportunity of a lifetime.

The Italian Lacrosse Federation has named McMahon to coach the first-ever national team alongside her husband, Amherst College men’s soccer head coach Justin Serpone. The dynamic duo will guide the team to the 2017 FIL World Cup in Guildford, England.

“I'd say the whole situation in general was great timing on both ends, with us being interested in coaching the team, and the Italian Lacrosse Federation working to form a team at the same time,” said McMahon.

McMahon is excited to embark on this journey keeping in mind the ultimate goal to eventually develop lacrosse as an Olympic sport.

“The idea of bringing a sport that we are both passionate about to a country that is passionate about everything they do, is just a great fit on both sides,” continued McMahon. “I believe I can speak for most coaches out there when I say it's a unified goal of ours for lacrosse to become an Olympic sport, so whatever we can do to help that become a reality, we are willing to do pretty much anything.”

The 32-year-old Northwestern alum from Weston will continue to serve as head coach at UMass while building the Italian national team over the next two years as it prepares for its first world championship event. The first test for the squad will be the 2015 European Championship in the Czech Republic.

“I'm most excited initially to get the team formed,” said McMahon. “It will be a great opportunity for me to run some clinics and great exposure of the sport with some of the best players in the world taking the field. I want every player that is on the team to have an amazing experience being a part of something very special. The memories and history that will be made will be remarkable."

The Minutewomen have developed into one of the premier programs in New England under the command of McMahon. Entering her fifth year as head coach, McMahon has led the team to four Atlantic 10 championship titles and four NCAA tournament appearances. Accumulating the third-best win total among any program in the country during that time span, the Minutewomen have gone 72-10 overall, including a 28-0 mark in Atlantic 10 regular-season play. McMahon already has the second-most wins in program history behind Hall of Famer and UMass legend Pam Hixon, who went 91-30-2 over a nine-year span.

“I view myself as a player's coach,” continued McMahon. “I try to be positive in order to build confidence, while also challenging my players to be the best versions of themselves on and off the field. That will not change with Team Italy. I want them to have a wonderful experience coming together as a team, learning and growing, and putting our best effort on the field every time we play.”